{{Short description|US science fiction convention}} {{Distinguish|Capricorn (disambiguation)}}{{Infobox Convention | name = Capricon | image = | caption = | status = Active | genre = Science Fiction | venue = | location = Chicago area | country = United States | first = 1981 | last = | organizer = Phandemonium, Inc | filing = Not For Profit | attendance = | website = http://www.capricon.org/ }}
'''Capricon''' is a science fiction convention held annually in the Chicago area. It is sponsored by Phandemonium and has been held each year since 1981.
This article provides a listing of all Capricons, detailing their dates, locations, chairpersons, guests and (starting in 1999) the themes of each convention.
Except where indicated otherwise, all information is taken from the "History of Capricon" page at Capricon's web site.<ref>{{cite web|title=History of Capricon|url=http://capricon.org/capricon36/about/history-of-capricon/|website=capricon.org|publisher=Phandemonium|accessdate=November 4, 2015}}</ref> {{Clear}} {| class="wikitable" |- ! Event ! Date ! Location ! Chair ! Theme ! Guests |- | Capricon 1 | February 20–22, 1981<ref name="locus81"/> | Holiday Inn, Evanston, Illinois | Chip Bestler | | Author Guest of Honor: Terry Carr/Wilson Tucker<ref name="locus81"/><ref name="prog1"/> <br />Fen Guests of Honor: J.R. & Mary Jane Holmes<ref name="locus81" /> |- | Capricon 2 | February 1982 | Radisson Hotel, Chicago, Illinois | Leah Bestler | | Author Guest of Honor: Gene Wolfe <br />Fan Guest of Honor: Mike Stein |- | Capricon 3 | February 1983 | Radisson Hotel, Chicago, Illinois | Virginia Meisinger | | Author Guest of Honor: Stephen R. Donaldson <br />Fan Guest of Honor: Otlie & Phil Foglio<ref name="prog3"/> |- | Capricon 4 | February 1984 | Continental Hotel, Chicago, Illinois | Marty Coady Fabish | | Author Guest of Honor: Paul O. Williams <br />Fan Guest of Honor: Jeff Duntemann |- | Capricon 5 | February 1985 | Lincolnwood (Purple) Hyatt, Lincolnwood, Illinois | Ginny Meisinger | | Author Guest of Honor: Frederik Pohl <br />Artist Guest of Honor: Darlene P. Coltrain |- | Capricon 6 | February 28 - March 2, 1986 | Lincolnwood (Purple) Hyatt, Lincolnwood, Illinois | Ginny Meisinger | | Author Guest of Honor: David R. Palmer <br />Fan Guest of Honor: Tim Allen |- | Capricon 7 | February 1987 | Lincolnwood (Purple) Hyatt, Lincolnwood, Illinois | No chair | | Author Guest of Honor: Jerry Oltion <br />Artist Guest of Honor: Stephen Hickman<br />Fan Guest of Honor: Joan Hanke-Woods |- | Capricon 8 | February 1988 | Arlington Park Hilton, Arlington Heights, Illinois | Alice Bentley | | Author Guest of Honor: Lawrence Watt-Evans<br />Artist Guest of Honor: Kay Reynolds <br />Fan Guest of Honor: Kathleen Meyer |- | Capricon 9 | February 1989 | Lincolnwood (Purple) Hyatt, Lincolnwood, Illinois | Alice Bentley | | Author Guest of Honor: Howard Waldrop <br />Fan Guest of Honor: Ken Fletcher |- | Capricon 10 | February 1990 | Lincolnwood (Purple) Hyatt, Lincolnwood, Illinois | Amy Schaefer | | Author Guest of Honor: P.C. Hodgell<br />Artist Guest of Honor: Todd Cameron Hamilton <br />Fan Guest of Honor: Bill Higgins |- | Capricon 11 | February 21–24, 1991 | Lincolnwood (Purple) Hyatt, Lincolnwood, Illinois | Alice Bentley | | Author Guest of Honor: Ellen Kushner<br />Editor Guest of Honor: Beth Meacham<br />Fan Guest of Honor: Becky Thomson |- | Capricon 12 | February 20–23, 1992 | Lincolnshire Resort, Lincolnshire, Illinois | Amy Schaefer | | Author Guest of Honor: Terry Bisson <br />Special Guests of Honor: Kim Stanley Robinson & Paul Park<br />Fan Guest of Honor: Steve Scherer |- | Capricon 13 | February 18–21, 1993 | Pheasant Run, St. Charles, Illinois | Amy Schaefer | | Author Guest of Honor: Terry Pratchett<br />Artist Guest of Honor: Darlene P. Coltrain<br />Fan Guest of Honor: George Laskowski |- | Capricon 14 | February 1994 | Wyndham Hamilton, Itasca, Illinois | Karen Babich | | Author Guest of Honor: Connie Willis<br />Artist Guest of Honor: Mary Lynn Skirvin<br />Fan Guest of Honor: David Dyer-Bennet |- | Capricon 15 | February 16–19, 1995 | Wyndham Hamilton, Itasca, Illinois | Kathy Nerat | | Author Guest of Honor: Nancy Kress<br />Fan Guest of Honor: Sue Blom |- | Capricon 16 | February 8–11, 1996 | Wyndham Hamilton, Itasca, Illinois | Doug Winkler | | Author Guest of Honor: Sean Stewart <br />Artist Guest of Honor: Scott Gustafson<br />Media Guest of Honor: Michael Stein |- | Capricon 17 | February 20–23, 1997 | Oak Brook Hilton, Oak Brook, Illinois | Doug Winkler | | Author Guest of Honor: Robert J. Sawyer<ref name="rjs97"/> |- | Capricon 18 | February 5–8, 1998 | Holiday Inn O'Hare, Rosemont, Illinois | Dina Krause | | Author Guest of Honor: Josepha Sherman <br />Editor Guest of Honor: Steve Hockensmith |- | Capricon 19 | February 11–14, 1999 | Arlington Park Hilton, Arlington Heights, Illinois | Dave McCarty and Tracy Lunquist | Villains | Pro Guest of Honor: David Weber <br />Artist Guest of Honor: Todd Cameron Hamilton <br />Fan Guest of Honor: Phoenix |- | Capricon 20 | January 27–30, 2000 | Arlington Park Hilton, Arlington Heights, Illinois | Dave McCarty | Armageddon | Pro Guest of Honor: Larry Niven <br />Science Guest of Honor: Chris Luchini <br />Fan Guest of Honor: Joseph "Uncle Vlad" Stockman |- | Capricon 21 | February 8–11, 2001 | Arlington Park Hilton, Arlington Heights, Illinois | Tracy Lunquist | Tellurian Exposition | Pro Guest of Honor: Allen Steele <br />Fan Guest of Honor: Geri Sullivan |- | Capricon 22 | February 7–10, 2002 | Sheraton Chicago Northwest, Arlington Heights, Illinois | Deb Kosiba | Fun & Games | Fun Guest of Honor: Dr. Demento <br />Game Guest of Honor: James Ernest <br />Artist Guest of Honor: Kaja Foglio <br />Fan Guest of Honor: David Abzug |- | Capricon 23 | February 6–9, 2003 | Sheraton Chicago Northwest, Arlington Heights, Illinois | Cary Williams & Marnie Gucciard | Gods & Monsters | Author Guest of Honor: Tim Powers <br />Artist Guest of Honor: Amy K. Brown <br />Fan Guest of Honor: Bill Roper |- | Capricon 24 | January 29-February 1, 2004 | Sheraton Chicago Northwest, Arlington Heights, Illinois | Dave McCarty | Sensawondah | Author Guests of Honor: Spider and Jeanne Robinson<br />Artist Guest of Honor: Kimberly Reck <br />NASA Guest of Honor: Bryan Palaszewski |- | Capricon 25 | February 10–14, 2005 | Sheraton Chicago Northwest, Arlington Heights, Illinois | Deb Kosiba | Mad Scientists | Author Guest of Honor: James P. Hogan <br />Artist Guest of Honor: Shaenon K. Garrity <br />Fan Guest of Honor: John Morse |- | Capricon 26 | February 9–13, 2006 | Sheraton Chicago Northwest, Arlington Heights, Illinois | Greg (Guido) Williams | University of Fandom (UFAN) | Visiting Guest Faculty: Peter S. Beagle, Bryan Palaszewski from NASA, Kat Eggleston, Michael Longcor, Dr. Mary Crowell, Nick Pollotta, Jody Lynn Nye, Bill Fawcett, and Phyllis Eisenstein |- | Capricon 27 | February 8–11, 2007 | Sheraton Chicago Northwest, Arlington Heights, Illinois | Gretchen Roper | A Celebration of High Fantasy | Author Guest of Honor: Lois McMaster Bujold <br />Artist Guest of Honor: Erin McKee <br />Fan Guest of Honor: Cat Faber <br />Other special guests: Peter S. Beagle and Bryan Palaszewski from NASA |- | Capricon 28 | February 14–17, 2008 | Sheraton Chicago Northwest, Arlington Heights, Illinois | Leane Verhulst | Pirates | SF Author Guest of Honor: Mike Resnick <br />Pirate Guests of Honor: John Baur ("Ol' Chumbucket") and Mark Summers ("Cap'n Slappy"), creators of International Talk Like a Pirate Day <br />Artist Guest of Honor: Don Maitz <br />Other special guests: Michael Longcor, Janny Wurts, Tori Baur ("Mad Sally"), Tom Smith, Bill and Brenda Sutton, and Bryan Palaszewski from NASA |- | Capricon 29 | February 19–22, 2009 | Westin Chicago North Shore, Wheeling, Illinois | Helen Montgomery | Camp Among the Stars | Author: Sharon Shinn<br /> Artist: Gary Lippincott <br /> Fan: Christian McGuire <br /> Filk: Barry and Sally Childs-Helton <br /> NASA: Bryan Palaszewski |- | Capricon 30 | February 11–14, 2010 | Westin Chicago North Shore, Wheeling, Illinois | Helen Montgomery | Celebration! | Authors: Frederik Pohl, Spider and Jeanne Robinson, and Robert J. Sawyer<br /> Artist: Lucy Synk <br /> Fan: Alice Bentley |- | Capricon 31 | February 10–13, 2011 | Westin Chicago North Shore, Wheeling, Illinois | Erik Olson | Escape | Author: John Scalzi<br /> Artist: John Picacio<br /> Fans: Stephen Boucher and Janice Gelb |- | Capricon 32 | February 9–12, 2012 | Westin Chicago North Shore, Wheeling, Illinois | Sandra de Jong | Amazing Adventures | Author: Cory Doctorow<br /> Media: Javier Grillo-Marxuach<br />Artist: Les McClaine<br /> Fan: Steven H Silver<ref name="av111221"/> |- | Capricon 33 | February 7–10, 2013 | Westin Chicago North Shore, Wheeling, Illinois | Mike Cyganiewicz | Artificial Intelligence | Author: Daniel H. Wilson<br /> Artist: Karen Ann Hollingsworth<br /> Fan: Helen Montgomery |- | Capricon 34 | February 6–9, 2014 | Westin Chicago North Shore, Wheeling, Illinois | Laura Dombrowski | the 4th Dimension | Author: S. M. Stirling<br /> Artist: Tom Peters<br /> Fan: Tadao Tomomatsu<br /> Special: Jan Stirling and Sherrilyn Kenyon<br /> Musical: Silent Nightmare |- | Capricon 35 | February 12–15, 2015 | Westin Chicago North Shore, Wheeling, Illinois | John (Shadowcat) Ickes | R & R | Author: Matt Forbeck<br /> Filk: Alexander James Adams<br /> Game: Margaret Weis<br /> Artist: John Bivens<br /> Podcaster: John Anealio<br /> Podcaster: Patrick Hester Fan: Elizabeth "Dr. Evil" Huffman |- | Capricon 36 | February 11–14, 2016 | Westin Chicago North Shore, Wheeling, Illinois | Marinda Darnell | Once Upon a Capricon... | Author: Scott Lynch<br /> Artist: Eric Wilkerson<br /> Fan: Wendy Zdrodowski<br /> Dance: Mae the Bellydancer<br /> Puppet: Stacey Gordon<br /> Special: Mark Oshiro |- | Capricon 37 | February 16–19, 2017 | Westin Chicago North Shore, Wheeling, Illinois | Peter Heltzer | And the Children Shall Lead | Author: Beth Revis<br /> Artist: Nilah Macgruder<br /> Fan: Meg Frank<br /> Music: Tim Griffin |- | Capricon 38 | February 15–18, 2018 | Westin Chicago North Shore, Wheeling, Illinois | Terrence Miltner | Expanding Universes | Author: Timothy Zahn<br /> Artist: Sarah Wilkinson<br /> Fan: Dave McCarty<br /> Gaming: Monica Valentinelli<br /> Special: Matt McElroy |- | Capricon 39 | February 14–17, 2019 | Westin Chicago North Shore, Wheeling, Illinois |D'Andre Williams | Strange Beasts Arise | Author: Seanan McGuire<br /> Artist: Phil Foglio<br /> Fan: Doug Rice<br /> Music: Carrie Dahlby<br /> |- | Capricon 40 | February 13–16, 2020 | Westin Chicago North Shore, Wheeling, Illinois | Aimee Dundon | The Tropics of Capricon | Author: Tobias Buckell<br /> Artist: Trungles<br /> Fan: Lillian Sams |- | Capricon 41 | February 4–7, 2021 | Virtual | Tammy Coxen | Creating the Future we Want | Aliette de Bodard <br />Brandon O’Brien <br />John Jennings <br />Michi Trota <br />Dr. Cacophonie Tamayo |- | Capricon 42 | February 3–6, 2022 | Sheraton Grand Chicago, Chicago, Illinois | Tori Carnall-Hawkins | Rockin’ In The Outer Realms | Author: Catherynne M. Valente <br />Artist: Gene Ha <br /> Gaming: Tanya DePass |- | Capricon 43 | February 2–5, 2023 | Sheraton Grand Chicago, Chicago, IL | Doug Killings | AEteriny Awaits | Author: Steven Brust <br />Artist: Christine Mitzuk <br />Fan: Moshe Yudkowsky |- | Capricon 44 | February 1–4, 2024 | Sheraton Grand Chicago, Chicago, IL | Sam Haney Press | The Endurance of Stars | Author: K. Tempest Bradford <br />Artist: Ariela Housman <br />Literary: Catherine Lundoff <br />Fan: Victor Jason Raymond, founder of the Carl Brandon Society |- | Capricon 45 | February 6-9, 2025 | Sheraton Grand Chicago, Chicago, IL | | Let Your Geek Flag Fly! | |- | Capricon 46 | February 5–8, 2026 | Mariott Chicago O'Hare, Chicago, IL | Kevin Hilty | Rise of the Humans | Andrea Hairston <br />Alexander Mui <br />Edward Ongweso <br />Jathan Sadowski <br />Laser Webber |}
== References == <references>
<ref name="locus81">{{cite news |title=Conventions |work=Locus |page=14 |date=January 1981}}</ref> <ref name="prog1">''Capricon I Program Book'', p.2.: Terry Carr was unable to attend and Wilson Tucker attended in his place.</ref> <ref name="prog3">''Capricon 3 Program Book''</ref> <ref name="rjs97">{{cite web|url=http://www.sfwriter.com/goh.htm|title=Science Fiction Writer Robert J. Sawyer: Sawyer Guest of Honorships|work=sfwriter.com|accessdate=10 May 2015}}</ref> <ref name="av111221">{{cite news|first=Alyssa |last=Vitale |work=The A.V. Club |title=Capricon sci-fi convention to feature Javier Grillo-Marxuach, Cory Doctorow |url=http://www.avclub.com/chicago/articles/capricon-scifi-convention-to-feature-javier-grillo,66933/ |date=December 21, 2011 |accessdate=March 28, 2012 }}{{dead link|date=November 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
</references>
==External links== *{{official website|http://www.capricon.org}} *[http://capricon.org/blog/phandemonium/ Phandemonium, Inc.]
Category:Science fiction conventions in the United States Category:Festivals in Illinois Category:Festivals in Chicago Category:Recurring events established in 1981 Category:Conventions in Illinois